Touring Tartu

Today was our first morning to wake up in Tartu. It was great to have a solid nights sleep. Cory DiCarro and I are staying at Chris Brock's place right in downtown Tartu. He treated us to a great breakfast: french-press coffee, juice, fresh bread, yogurt, and a donut-type pastry. We met in Salem Baptist Church at 10am for a training session for English Camp. The team had their first chance to meet our Estonian small group leaders. It was a great time of meeting and laughing, then we prayed with our small group leaders for the camp and for each student by name. Afterwards we ate at Tsink Plink Pang, which means something like "Tin Bucket", and is a Chinese style restaurant. We stuffed ourselves, then walked around Tartu catching the sites and getting to know some of the Christian students better. The team is doing quite well with very few setbacks. Dave J. Did fall down some stairs at the Vinalaas' but went to a massage therapist this morning and seems to be doing quite fine. Also Ryan Cross seems to have lost his passport. You can pray for Dave's back and Ryan's passport, that he either finds it or is able to get the necessary papers to get back out of the country. No one seems to be too worried about the passport situation, but keep it in your prayers. The team is rested, well fed and enjoying Tartu, it is a great start to our week.

Pictures Summary: (1) The team gathers at Salem Baptist Church for English Camp Meeting. (2) Erin and I will be teaming up with Max to lead a small group during English camp. (3) Todd prays with Eva and Peter for their small group. (4) Peter, Clay, Cory, Bob and Max enjoying Chinese cuisine for lunch. (5) Peter, Andy and Cory are "enjoying" the local scenery. (6) Timo, Peter, Clay, Ryan and Amalee Vinalaas posing on top of the Angel Bridge with downtown Tartu in the background.

The Eagle has Landed

Since we sat in Chicago for 3 hours, we missed our connecting flight to Tallin. So we hopped a flight to Copenhagen, Sweden where we hurried to the gate, then back to the ticketing counter, then back to the gate to get to the plane just before they closed the gate. Then besided not getting about half of our bags, everyone arrived in very good spirits...just happy to have landed in Estonia. We then drove 2 hours south to Tartu where we piled into the Vinalaas house for a yummy meal of lasagna, bread, salad, pie & ice cream. After a few quick calls home we are ready for some sleep to get adjusted to the 7 hour time difference.

Pic 1: Here is our merry 16 happily enduring our 16 plus hours in travel to Estonia.

Pic 2: Matt Hamer is haggling with the ticketing counter to get us all boarding passes from Copenhagen to Tartu.

Pic 3: The team stops to pray for Matt as he haggles with the ticketing counter to get us onto the flight from Copenhagen to Tartu.

Pic 4: Christy and Tiffany share a light moment while enduring the long hours in the airport.

Pic 5: Rachel Witt and Jill Cross are happy to be on the ground in slightly snow covered Estonia.

Pic 6: Sharing a meal with Craig, Chris, Peep, Anna and the Vinalaas'es.

Stockholm we've arrived....

We are enroute to Estonia and almost there. The trip has been largely uneventful so far. Yesterday we had a short but bumpy flight to Chicago. Then we sat on our plane on the tarmac for 3 hours...yep 3 hours before we took off. The snow had come in and the plane had to de-ice. That takes 3 hours right? The overnight flight to Stockholm was bumpy as well, even at 6 miles up. But we had fun passing the time playing video games and watching movies.

I chose to watch North Country, a sad movie about the mistreatment of women in the coal mines of Northern Minnesota. Rumor has it that the rest of the guys watched Pride & Prejudice...but that is just a rumor. Since we missed our earlier direct flight to Tallin, we have a few hours to kill at Stockholm then we fly to Copenhagen before heading to Tallin. We should get in at 4pm-ish. I talked to some nice ladies at the information counter, who are Stockholm natives and both had been to Chicago, but not Columbus?? Fun Stockholm fact... population is about 1 mil.


Excitement is mounting within the team to arrive in Estonia and begin English Camp. Right now we are just happy to have a few hours of sleep and be a few miles closer to Estonia.

Estonia Here we come...

This is the first of what I hope is a bunch of blogs on the 2006 Estonia Team. Here is the team from left to right...














(front row) Lisa Hamer, Jill Cross, Tiffany Stewart, Christy Murray, Rachel Witt, Erin Megerle, (2nd row) Bob Patterson, Cory Kelley, Todd Goodman, ME, Cory Kelley, Bob Hart, Matt Hamer (back row) Dave Jadischke, Ryan Cross, Andy Caraway. Keep the group in your prayers.

We are headed to Estonia, which was a part of the former USSR. We will spend a little bit of time in Tartu before we head off to a nice campground near Tartu for our 3-day English camp with 85 highschool students.



















For those who were at the Bible Study on Tuesday and saw the LOST video that the team put together you know that English is not all work, we will mix it up and try to have some fun as well. Until next time...

standFIRM gets published

Well not exactly, but if you at all enjoyed the sounds which helped to create the environment on that cold February night, then you might be interested in checking out the standFIRM iMix I just published. Damien Rice, ColdPlay, Charlie Hall, David Crowder and more....check it out here. http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPublishedPlaylist?id=740542

Remember Peep & Anna?

They are a new missionary couple from Estonia that we met in November and I blogged about here. I received a prayer request e-mail today about a big week of ministry on the local college campus. I thought I would share it with you and ask you to join them in prayer. They even mention the team from Northwest that will be going over there in 10 days to help them run their English camp. Pray for them, then I'll share the results.

Dear friends,
We are enjoying really beautiful winter here in Estonia - lots of snow, reasonably cold and even some sunshine! You should come and check it out ;)

I wanted to send you a quick email update about this upcoming week and ask your prayers for everything thats going on, because there is a lot of it.

This weekend we had a team from North Point church working with the Kidstuf volunteers. It was a great time of practical workshops and also bringing excitement about starting the program in the spring.

This week is a week we specially want to focus on university outreach through relational evagelism. We have a team from North Point church helping us to do that. As a new thing throughout the week we try to get into the classes in the university to give lectures and have small groups there. since it is something we have not tried before then we are quite nerveous and dont know how it will be received by students. Please pray for the team from North Point who is giving the lectures and our core students who will be working together with them on that. In addition to that we have training for small group leaders, line dancing course and lecture series on leadership.

On Wednesday and Thursday nights we will have an evening program for the students. Hopefully many students will come to that.

On friday night we will have the worship service Risttee where we will start new series on prayer called "Get connected". You can pray for me as im preparing the sermon for it through the hectic week.

On saturday night we will have the Going UP event. You can pray for all the preparations for that as our student voluteers are all very busy at school right now.

These are all the things going on this week. Our desire and prayer is that God could be at work here in Tartu this week in a very special way.

On 17th of March a group from Northwest Bible church will get for the annual spring break English Camp. It will be a really exciting week and we are already looking forward to that.

Thank you so much for standing next to us in your prayers! I will send you the next update real soon.

Blessings,
Peep

A Friend Like Dan

It was my freshman year in college. I had gone to a few of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship meetings on my campus. But frankly I thought the group was filled with people who were below my own social status. I was too cool to jump into the group and call it “my group.” I toyed around with one of the guys Bible studies led by a guy named Dan. Dan was a nice guy but in my mind he typified the social status of the group. He was the type of guy you’d turn to for chemistry help, not the guy you’d hangout with on Friday Night.

But Dan did not seem to be intimidated by my “coolness” and he treated me with genuine kindness. Every so often he would stop by freshman dorm room to see how I was doing or to bring by some cookies. One time I returned to my freshman hall and all the guys were laughing at me because of Dan. I thought to myself, “Oh great, what did he do this time.”

They drug me to the answering machine and played a message which Dan had left. The message said something to the effect of “Hey Clay, wanted to see if you were interested in hanging out on Friday, we could play some games or bake a cake or something….” BAKE A CAKE, I thought….who says stuff like that. But that was just Dan. I didn’t consider Dan a close friend, until one day later in the semester.

It was during freshman rush. I was making what I believed to be one of the biggest decisions in my life…which fraternity should I join. I was really conflicted by the event and felt great pressure from a couple of fraternities to join their brotherhood. In the heat of the moment I joined one of the fraternities, and I immediately felt like I had made the wrong decision. I lost sleep…I couldn’t eat…I was extremely anxious. Part of my concern was based upon what little Christian values I actually had at the time.

I needed someone to talk to, but I didn’t know where to turn. The guys on my hall were part of the pressure to join the fraternal system and I didn’t know what to do. So in my desperation for release from the pressure that was building within me… I turned to Dan. I stopped by his dorm room and asked if I could talk. He dropped everything and just listened to me. I poured out my anxiety and some tears as I explained the weight of the pressure which I had been feeling. He did a little talking, but mostly listened and supported. I left his room with a strategy to correct the situation and a peace about the process and what I had to do to correct my situation.

I learned something about friendship that day. And I learned something about myself that day as well. I knew that I needed some people who shared my worldview who could speak wisdom into my life when I needed it. I also had my conception of “social status” crushed that day. I realized that what I shared with Dan, as a fellow servant of Christ, was much stronger than any external pretension of coolness or social status.

Proverbs says, “The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense (Prov. 27:9).” Dan proved to be a true friend to me. His comfort and counsel were gifts that I came to cherish as I continued my journey in life. Not because my social status improved when I was around him, but because I needed a friend who could offer wise counsel. Everyone needs a friend like Dan.

Have Church Your Way

Do you have what it takes to be the pastor of the next Mega Church? Find out at the comfort of your own PC thanks to "Mega Church" the game. Check this out.

Pieces of a Puzzle

Last night I passed out some simple puzzles that I gathered from the 2-3 year old nursery. Everyone had a piece of the puzzle and when I said go, we raced to see which group could put their puzzle together the fastest.

It was a simple exercise with a profound message. A puzzle is made of different pieces. If even one piece is missing, the picture is not complete. If the pieces are not in the right place...if they're not playing the role they were made to the play...then the picture doesn't work. The puzzle was made to display a pretty picture or a beautiful landscape, but it only works if every piece is in the right place.

That may help us to think about the local church. God, the master designer, is painting a beautiful picture, but the picture is only complete when every person is involved and is functioning in the way that He has designed them. The church is not just a social club "formed solely by human intentions and efforts, individual or collective, but instead by God's empowering presence (Darrell Guder)."

The church is the work of the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit which brings about regeneration in the work of salvation, when one is born again (John 3:5-8) is the agent which knits together the church by baptizing each born again person into the body of Christ which is the Church (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). The Church is not an option for Christians; it is the result of their salvation. God does not redeem individuals and then leave them hanging isolated and alone, He has a beautiful picture to which they are an indispensable piece.

But why then does church seem so unfulfilling and so optional for many Christians. It is easy to show up once in a while on Sundays to fill a pew and then to go back to regular life. It can be difficult to find people that we click with, can't it? It can be scary to consider making a "bigger" commitment to church, right? I agree and have personally thought all these thoughts and more.

So whose fault is this situation? I think some of the blame lies with church leadership. Pastors can be so busy running their own agendas that they miss the important task of identifying, training, connecting and launching people to their God designed role in fulfilling the church's mission. Isn't that the main role of pastors & teachers anyway? Consider Ephesians 4 :12-13,

"It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. "

At the same time part of the blame lies with the individual. Many choose the path of least resistance and so they never give their time to serving in the local church or they choose to never attend a bible study so they never get to know anyone. They cling to Christ for their salvation, but they seem to have missed the idea that they are an essential part of the body of Christ. That in fact if they are not connected and functioning as they have been designed that the church is deficient in some capacity.

My 2 1/2 year old son loves doing puzzles. He often will grab a piece and after a few attempts at placing it, comes to me and says "Where does this go daddy?" He can't always figure out where all the pieces go, but he does one thing really well. He can quickly figure out if any piece is missing...and it drives him crazy. He is okay if the pieces are upside down or if they are spread across the table as long, as they are all there.

God is painting a glorious picture by bringing together many pieces. Each local church is a small part of the painting and each is made up of many parts. Not only do you need the church, but the church needs you. So...which piece are you? What role do you play in the picture of your local church?

Loneliness 6: Building a House of Understanding

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. Proverbs 24:3-4

Some might say by this point in the week, "Ok I get it, I see that other fears in my life have kept me from developing true companionship, what do I do now?" That is a good place to be. Some might say, hey I'm single and that is why I feel lonely. I agree that a marital relationship offers the possibility of deeply intimate companionship, but I would encourage singles to practice their companionship making skills on the other relationships in their lives. If companionship is a house, then mutual understanding is the foundation. So here's a process for developing true companionship through mutual understanding:

1. Confess your real self to the Lord. Put your fears and personal struggles into words, audibly and speak them before the Lord. God already KNOWS you, but by being audibly honest with God it helps us to be honest with ourselves and others.

2. Have confidence that God knows you and accepts you. The old hymn, "Just as I am" comes to mind. God knows our selfishness, our loneliness, our fears, our lust, our hatred...and he still loves us completely. To those who trust in Him, He completely accepts and forgives us.

3. Proceed with caution. We must not go around dumping the truckload of our inner struggles on everyone we meet. And even our families or spouses do not need to know every detail of our issues. So pick your people and your issues wisely. If you are unsure seek the guidance of a spiritual mentor.

4. Commit to communicate. Two-way active communication is the foundation upon which true companionship is built. Listen well so as to understand the other person and share honestly so as to be clearly understood. Without communication there is no understanding and without understanding there is no companionship.

Is God stirring within your heart discomfort about some of your relationships? Slowly and cautiously be obedient to the Holy Spirit by beginning the companionship-making process.

Loneliness 5: Connecting

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:16

Noted Christian Psychologist and author Larry Crabb dropped a bomb on the Christian Counseling profession with the release of his book Connecting. In it he explains that the underlying reason that more Americans are going to professionals to fix damaged psyches is what he refers to as disconnected souls. That sounds a lot like the concept of loneliness. The shocking thing is that Crabb suggests that professional soulcare is NOT the answer, but he prescribes a soul “nourishment” that “only a community of connected people can offer.” I’ll let Dr. Crabb explain…

“I have strong reason to suspect that Christians sitting dutifully in church congregations, for whom “going to church” means doing a variety of spiritual activities, have been given resources that if released could powerfully heal broken hearts, overcome the damage done by abusive backgrounds, encourage the depressed to courageously move forwards, stimulate the lonely to reach out, revitalize discouraged teens and children with new and holy energy, and introduce hope into the lives of the countless people who feel rejected, alone, and useless. Maybe “going to church,” more than anything else, means relating to several people in your life differently. Maybe the center of Christian community is connecting with a few.” (Crabb, Larry. Connecting. 1997. The W Publishing Group, Nashville, xiii.)

It is most likely that every Sunday you are surrounded by lonely people, or as Crabb says disconnected souls. They come to church to find healing, or acceptance, or forgiveness or true companionship. The apostle Paul says the church should function so in sync with the needs of its members that is functions like a human body. A healthy body works together in everything that it does... there should be no disconnection.

Is your soul being nourished by a few others that you really connect with? Pray that God would guide you to enter into a connected community. Or if you are in such a connected community now, consider inviting other disconnected souls into yours.

Loneliness 4: What are we so afraid of?

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." Romans 8:15

If we believe that we were designed in the image of God and therefore made for relationships, does that mean that having relationships is the end of all loneliness? If it were only that easy. I remember the appearance of a nagging feeling of loneliness at times, even after I was married. You see I did not understand that a relationship or even a marriage relationship does not necessarily equate with true companionship.

True companionship is more than just the existence of a relationship, but is something much deeper. It is an environment where someone seeks to know you, all of you and you feel safe sharing that sensitive soft-core that is deep within you. It is quite possible to have a pleasant, stable relationship yet to never develop the deeper knowledge of one another that can be described as companionship. This is where fear comes in. We maintain our relationships at a pleasant level because we fear other things will happen if we expose our real selves to these people. The most common fear that leads to loneliness is fear of rejection. We fear that we won’t be accepted if we unveil our true selves. So for fears-sake we conceal this soft-sensitive part of our being out of self-protection and as a result no one truly knows us.

When we make these decisions we are actually driving a wedge of separation between us and others andtrue companionshipp is never possible. We are so afraid to admit that we have low self-esteem...or don’t feel loved... or struggle with pornography... or don’t feel attractive... or embarrass easily... or that we struggle with communicating our feelings that we don’t let others truly know us. So marriages exist without true self-disclosure. Parent-child relationships exist without mutual understanding. Friendships exist without deep levels of communication. Don’t let fear keep you from enjoying true companionship.

Take stock of the relationships in your life as to the degree to which you know one another. Your spouse. Your parents/children. Your friends. Ask God for the courage to share your heart with those that you can trust.

from Linda

Linda lost her mom to cancer about a week ago. She has been on our hearts and in our prayers. A number of people have spent time with Linda and her family offering support. The family was showered with flowers, so after the funeral service Linda brough over flowers and this kind note.

Loneliness 3: I don’t deserve this

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Loneliness is common, let's get that straight. It is not a special problem for the pitiful few, it shows no partiality or favors when it considers whom to haunt. But does anyone really deserve to be lonely? Dan Haseltine the lead singer for Jars of Clay offered an interesting view in a recent article on relationships. He wrote:

What we deserve is to be lonely, what we deserve is to be isolated from the one who loves us better thatn anyone else. What we deserve is to never be pushed forward, to never deepen in our wisdom and experience of love and community. What we deserve is to die a dark and disconnected fate. And if we are going to apply the rules of culture today, the only one to blame for not getting what we deserve is Jesus. (Relevant Magazine, July_August 2005, Longevity, Dan Haseltine, p. 50.)

Did you get that? If not read it again. Let's be honest, we are naturally like Adam. And for that rebellion we deserve loneliness, relating to God and others. And God's judgment was separation from Him, at Eden, and from one another, at Babel. Yet despite our deserved separation, God through Christ has extended his hand towards us. By sacrificing his Son, He has paved the way across the chasm of separation. God's act of redemption, restores us from our lonely state caused by our sinfulness, so that we can live in true companionship with our creator and with others. That is reconciliation. God through Jesus, reconciling us to himself and then empowering us to reconcile with each other. Loneliness at its root is a spiritual problem brought on by our sin.

Do you feel entitled to certain things (friends, a spouse, respect from others) because you think you are good? Reconsider what you truly deserve and how Jesus has given you the opposite.

Loneliness 2: Is it just me?

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was without sin. Hebrew 4:14

When I was a kid I got hit in the face with a baseball bat and lost my top left tooth and chipped a few others. I happened to be in the wrong place when a little league teammate of mine was in the "on deck" circle getting ready for his at bat. It was obviously an impressionable experience for me. When I returned from thhospitalol my dad gave me something to tell me how proud he was of me. It was a button with a picture of "hero" sandwich on it and the letters HERO across the top. I felt special and unique in a really good way, thanks to my dad's encouragement. But sometimes I feel that same sort of special and unique in bad ways. I feel like I uniquely deal with certain moral, spiritual or relational struggles in ways that others wouldn't or couldn't identify.

It can be that way with loneliness can't it? We feel all alone in our loneliness. Some wives say, no one could ever understand how emotionally separated my husband and I are. Others say I'm so socially awkward that I will never have a true friendship. Some kids say, my relationship with my parents is so distant that no one wounderstandndertsand. And these pent-up feelings lead to emotional turmoil in the simplest form and depression or suicide in more extreme cases. Some feel that no one could be as isolated or separated or alone as they are. They feel alone in their loneliness.

But thanks to Christ, I know that such thoughts are not true. Christ himself in his humanity experienced loneliness, forsakenness, betrayal and worse. And Scripture tells us that, “no temptation has seized [us] except what is common to man (1 Cor 10:13)." So others feel the same way. Loneliness, separation, and isolation bring deep feelings of pain, but we aren't alone in dealing with these feelings.

Do you struggle with loneliness? Find comfort in sharing your feelings with Christ, who understands. Pray that God would allow you to connect with othempathize empathisize with you.

Loneliness 1: The Soul of the Matter

We recently did a freedom from Fear Series at our Church. I wrote these devotionals for the Fear of Loneliness. They seem to fit with our current study of Community, so I will republish all six.
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So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

I'm not sure that we fear loneliness, as in being afraid of this beast calls loneliness but I think we feel lonely. The difference may be small but I think there is a difference. I guess I don't think loneliness strikes fear in people, especially in America where we value our independence. But I do think that everyone feels the nagging pain of loneliness.... some more than others.

Before dealing with the concept of loneliness we must define what we are talking about. Ed Young, Jr. in his book "Know Fear" suggests it is "being without true companionship." It is not a feeling based upon what we have but its focus is upon what we do not have. The struggle with loneliness is a feeling of isolation or separation. It is the sense that something is absent. It is like the hole in the centerfavorite favority donut, you can stick your finger through it because it is not there. It is the feeling that comes when one pines for a spouse or is grieving their loss. Or it is the feeling when one longs for a true friend or moves 1000 miles away from their best one.

Just this week, I spoke with two girls who sense this loss. One moved into town 5 months ago, and is still struggling to find a church. She shared that one of the biggest things missing in her life is friends. Another girl lost her mother to cancer just this past week. She was very close to her mom and the pain of losing her hurts.

Why does this lack of "true companionship" in our lives bother us so much? Because at the core of our being we were designed for intimate companionship. We were designed in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). God himself is one being in three persons. So God in his oneness is also threeness, we call this the doctrine of the trinity. The Godhead is self-sufficient apart from relationship with mankind because he exists in an intra-trinitarian loving relationship. So as image-bearers of God all mankind is designed for relationship or should we say "true companionship." So when we lack that, the ache is in the depth of our being. We know that something is not well with our soul.

This week we will consider what part loneliness plays in your life and relationships. Ask God to open your eyes to the ways in which feelings of loneliness are present in your life.

Koinonia

Last night we started a 4-week Bible Study on Growing in Community. I suggested that one of the key components of the early church was the concept of koinonia. Acts 2:42 describes how the earliest Christians spent their time. "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship (koinonia), to the breaking of bread and to prayer."

Darrell Guder suggests in the book Missional Church says this about koinonia.

"It is the communal reality of holy living, mutual support, and sacrificial service. Challenging the old competitive order of independence, self-interest, and private privilege. Christian community indicates a new collaborative order of interdependence, shared responsibility, mutual instruction and commonality (koinos)."

We as the church should be a new community of people not formed solely by human intentions or efforts but knit together by the Holy Spirit. If we are truly to embody koinonia we must not "conform any long to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of (our) mind(s)" (Rom 12:2). We must remember that "the old has passed away, the new has come" (1 Cor 5:17).

Such a community of people will not be the result of purely natural effort, because we will get sick of one another. It is only possible through the supernatural work of God in Christ through His Spirit.

Are you sitting or standing?

The 17th has come and gone, but I hope that the ripples of standFIRM are stirring into waves. How encouraging was it see nearly 70 young adults gather for a time of teaching, praise and discussion. The room seemed to grow in its level of intimacy as the night wore on.

Dr. David Hoffeditz, Bible & Greek Teacher at Cedarville University and author of "They were Single Too", delivered a stirring challenge to those in attendance. He was pretty honest when he identified that we all face obstacles to standing firm in the Lord. And this led to his concern that the challenges of life lead can lead us to bitterness or blurred vision about life.

So he suggested three simple ways to overcoming the obstacles which can keep us from standing firm in the Lord: (1) Rest in the Lord - Find comfort and peace in Him in the midst of life's trails. (2) Seek to Serve - When we serve Him by serving others we don't have as much time to worry about our own circumstances. (3) Praise the Lord - Even when everything in life says we shouldn't.

Thanks David, those are good words. Keep an eye on the site, the pictures are coming soon.

Are you PASSION-ate?

The last month has been a bit of a whirl of experiences: the holidays, family, ministry, travel. So I'm finally getting back to the blog after a hiatus. One of the most stirring experiences was traveling with my wife and merry bunch of college students (Gabe, Matt, Tim, Ray plus Allie) to the Passion Conference in Nashville, TN. Here they are











































We joined 18,000 college students and ministry leaders from around the country for 3 days of teaching, worship, praying and discussion. The music was loud, inspiring and just plain fun. We were led in worship by David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall and Matt Redman. I'm not much of a concert guy, so I really enjoyed the engaging production. Could this be church? I'm not sure I'm ready for light shows and smoke machines, but a stadium full of people singing at the top of their lunch, hands raised singing songs of devotion to Christ. The word that I have found myself using to describe the worship is FREE. It may sound a bit charismatic, but the environment invited response and with the use of silence I sensed that I had time to allow the Spirit to work through the areas of my life that needed repentance or confession. I was not just singing songs or showing off, I had been invited to respond to God, whether singing or silent. And in the end I felt a spiritual rejuvenation. Like a small dry sponge that just been washed over by a bucket of fresh water and now was drippingly saturated.














There was a lot of excitement and knee-slapping, but to balance that out the conference hosted a top-notch line of speakers. Louie Giglio, Beth Moore and John Piper. The teaching has had my mind spinning. I've regained an appetite for the Scriptures, for memorization and to wrestle with the goodness of the Gospel.

The sessions from John Piper have gripped my attention.

In his first session his theme was: the glory of the Grace of God was maximally displayed in the suffering of the Son. Before the foundations of the world, God determined that his Son would be humiliated and slaughtered so that those who far-off could be brought near and become His children. That is Grace. According to Piper this Grace, the giving of what was not deserved (righteousness) to those who do not deserve it (wicked man), is most abundant in the undeserved yet willing suffering of the Son (the innocent one). Wow!

Then in session two Piper turned the conference on its head by inviting us into join in making God great. He said: Since the glory of the Grace of God is maximally displayed by the suffering of the Son, will you join the Son in maximally glorifying the Grace of God by willingly suffering on behalf of this gospel of grace. The invitation was to walk away from valuing prestige, position, comfort even coolness to be poured out even to the point of suffering for the glorification of the grace of God through Christ.

"but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation." 1 Peter 4:13

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions." Colossians 1:24

After three busy days, all we had the energy for was....














It was a blast and one h%$? of a way to start off the new year. For more pictures go to the Passion'06 on the PICS tab at www.seven27.org. And consider joining us for Passion'07 in Atlanta, Jan 1-4.

Friends + Laughter = Memories

Bruce & Karen Lane warmed us up after our caroling by inviting us over for some hot soup & chili and some warm cider. THANKS - BRUCE & KAREN. But as I was driving home that night Christine and I were reliving the funny stories from the night. The creative gifts opened during the white elephant exchange. The jockeying for position to get the right gift or get rid of the wrong gift. The antics of Guesstures & Taboo.

There were many stories that we could share and will fondly remember for a long time. I was impressed by how healing it can be when we gather with friends and we laugh together. We were making memories. But memories are not without cost.

It takes some risks to make memories right? Some had long weeks and just showing up was difficult. Some didn't really know that many people, others get embarrassed making a fool of themselves (that is what games are all about, right?). But those who took the risk made some good memories.
Anyonee need a rubber chicken.
Oooh goody, nose hair trimmers
How's that block of wood Robert?
What is it Andy?

Joy to the World

On Saturday we surprised a local neighborhood by showing up on their steps to sing Christ-centered carols. We were received quite well and most people held their doors open to enjoy our song, despite the 20something degree weather. We lost no one to frost-bite, but we almost lost Erin to an aggresively close-talking man clad in shorts & a t-shirt.

May this Advent season stir your hearts to sing a new song to our King, Jesus.

We couldn't pass up the opportunity to pose with Santa.
They sounded like a chorus of angels.
Sing it Steve, Amy, Tiff & John.

Tea Anyone?

Last Thursday a group of 727 gals joined in on the church-wide Christmas Tea festivities when Kristen Stewart hosted a table. In addition to a "night out" of fine dining complete with entertainment, it was a chance for the men of the church to serve the ladies. Steve jumped at the chance to be at the beck & call of this table of pretty yet demanding ladies. It looks like he was providing service with a smile. Merry Christmas!!

Creation & Salvation

Last week I gave props to Ken Myers, suggesting Mars Hill for your Christmas shopping. Well, he's back, I just read his December letter from the Mars Hill Audio Journal, in which he challenges some of our common thinking about creation & salvation. How do you link these two ideas? Do you believe that time & space as created by God will one day be destroyed so that those who are saved will be saved to a timeless-spaceless other-existence called heaven? Consider some excerpts.

"American Christians seem much more willing to fight about the fact of Creation (against Darwinism) or fight with one another about how many hours Creation took than they are to order their lives around the structures that God has placed in Creation. Christians want to insist on the fact of Creation even as they are willing to ignore the meaning and significance of the order of Creation."

Is our interaction with creation simply an objectifiable fact which we arm ourselves to defend our belief in God? Does our interaction with creation also include our living experience with other created things/people as subjects of the king? How does the order established in Genesis 1 & 2 order our lives? How do we interact with living things (plants, animals, places) and people in a way which glorifies our creator?

"There has been since the beginning of the Church a temptation to read the story of God's saving work as an account of human liberation from Creation rather than human redemption in the context of a renewed Creation."

Do you consider the earth and its cultures as things which must be loathed or left behind in order to pursue more spiritual things? How does your salvation include ways in which you live (treat, consider, care for, enjoy) redemptively with other created things? What if heavens looks a lot more like earth than heaven?

"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." (Romans 8:19-23)

Should my Church close on Christmas Sunday?

That is the question of the day, because we get to decide this year. CNN even had carried a piece, "Some megachurches closing on Christmas." The debate is raging. Check out what both sides are saying.

Ben Witherington , NT scholar at Asbury Seminary, Kentucky
Scot McKnight, NT scholar at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Chicago

Witherington offers a response to McKnight, in Comment #13. Our church is consolidating its typical 2 Sunday services into one larger one on the heels of 3 Christmas Eve Candlelight services. What are your thoughts?

Are you wasting your life?

That is a question that I've come in contact with lately. Well it's not always that explicit but that is the question that lies just below the surface. Guys and gals, men and women who want their life to count...to not be wasted. They work at nice jobs but at the end of the day wonder if they are making any difference for God. Some even say they are considering quitting work to move overseas to be in "full-time" Christian ministry.

I identify because that was my story. I was a salesman in the computer industry for 7 years before I quit my job, went to seminary and entered into vocational ministry. But now that I am removed from the regular workforce I have noticed the detriments of becoming a "man of the cloth." So I want to encourage my brothers and sisters whom struggle with this question that impact is not described in terms of vocation or geography but in terms of perspective and attitude.

I was recently was flipping through John Piper's handy book, "Don't Waste Your Life", and came across a helpful list of how to bring a ministry-mindset to your job. The list is pulled from chapter 8 "Making Much of Christ from 8 to 5." May his thoughts encourage you in your daily toil.

We can make much of Christ in our secular job...
1. Through the fellowship that we enjoy with Him throughout the day in all our work.
2. By the joyful, trusting, God-exalting design of our creativity and industry.
3. When it confirms and enhances the portrait of Christ's glory that people hear in the spoken Gospel.
4. By earning enough money to keep us from depending on others, while focusing on the helpfulness of our work rather than financial rewards.
5. By earning money with the desire to use our money to make others glad in God.
6. By treating the web of relationships it creates as a gift of God to be loved by sharing the Gospel and by practical deeds of help.

Engaging the Mind

1 Corinthians 9 tells us that it is OK for those who feeds our spirits to derive their living from the support of their sheep. Well I want to share with you one of the shepherds that has been leading me into a more Christianly thoughtful engagement with American culture, Mars Hill Audio.

A few months ago a friend of mine gave me a great gift by turning my onto this bi- monthly audio journal, produced by Ken Myers. I was smart enough to listen and for $36 got my years subscription. These audio journals have been a devotional for me and have challenged me to walk out into the deep waters of Christian cultural engagement.

Remember when Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27)." Very few Christians I know actually show me how to love my Lord with my mind. So I try to find really smart, godly men who aren't afraid to go to the movies or turn on the TV, because they will undoubtedly show me how to critically engage my culture with a transformed mind.

I just received my third MHA Journal in the mail and look forward to the exercise my Christian mind will receive. Do yourself a favor this Christmas and give yourself a gift that will disciple you in transforming your mind. Check out the Mars Hill Audio Journal.

A favorite freebie of mine is an extended interview with Eugene Peterson on his latest book, "Christ Plays in 10,000 Places."

Give Thanks!

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever!
Psalm 30:11-12

The Gospel Truth

Scot McKnight, NT professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago and author of various books like Jesus Creed, reviews John Piper's latest book "God is the Gospel."

In his review he defines the Gospel as the work of the trinitarian God (Father, Son, Spirit), in the context of a community, to restore cracked Eikons to union with God and communion with others, for the good of others and the world. Chew on that.

Milk and Cereal

This makes you want to break your fast. Ha!

Cleaning house brings criticism

The article on the front page of today's Columbus Dispatch caught my eye, One man's storage unit is another's eyesore. The story focuses on the misfortune of one local family whose home was severely damaged when a run-away car slammed into it. Now as they are piecing their life and home back together they are "cleaning house" and taking advantage of that great invention, PODS (portable on demand storage).

But as the picture above reveals, all is not well on Main Street, because the POD is a bit of an eyesore to the neighbors. A friend of the family said, "If I didn't know their situation, I'd call the city." We don't like PODS, do we, because they are not clean, they don't fit in. Well manicured lawns and white picket fences don't seem to fit in when someone's living room is in their front yard. So the article follows the discussion, how long should someone have a POD in their front yard? How long is too long? How long is long enough? I don't want my neighbors cluttering up their yard with random belongings that should be tucked away in their house, that is not what I signed up for when I moved into the neighborhood. Do you?!

But if our houses represent our lives and our neighborhood is our local church (just work with me) how long should PODS be allowed to be in our front yards. As Christians we are slowly being transformed into the image of the Lord (2 Cor 3:18) and we go through some remodeling in the process. We have to move some furniture out of the living room, knock down some walls and put on some fresh coats of paint. And unless we live behind 8 foot privacy fences, it will be a bit visible to the neighbors. Sometimes we even have hire some pro's to come in help us do the work.

How should the neighborhood respond? Should we allow PODS in the neighborhood? How long should they be there? I find a bit of guidance in Galatians 6. "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ (6:2)." The picture here is an oppressive load that will crush an individual if they alone are left to support it. In those situations Paul say, hey neighbors - not only will a POD show up in their yard, but you should put one in your yard and take some of the load. Sometimes homes are nearly demolished and PODS must be brought in.

But Paul goes on in verse 5 to say, "For each one will bear his own load." Here the image is a back-pack size load that is manageable. These loads don't require a POD, so everyone in the neighborhood should strap on their backpacks to handle their own loads of this size. So every neighborhood is a mix of backpacks and PODS as we all undergo remodeling, the sanctifying process of being conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). My back-pack is on and my driveway is open for a POD if you need it, will you pull one up if I need?

25-21...cause for worship

With hands lifted high and voices bellowing from deep within our collective souls the Buckeye Nation joined together in a unified chorus of worship of "Carmen Ohio." The worship will continue for days, weeks, months and years as we re-live and remember the story of Novemeber 19, 2005. We complete our joy by re-living and retelling...the drive...the catch...the score. We tell our kids and our kids re-enact the events of the day. Bob Hunter in the Columbus Dispatch notes this reality in his Sunday column. Go Bucks!

Touch no unclean thing.

"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." 2 Corinthians 6:17

No blasphemy intended, but this week in Columbus is about separating the sheep from the wolves (pun intended). Draw a line in the sand, pick your colors, sit on different couches or at different locations. This one is for all the tamales.

I feel like talking X's & O's today. I think the difference in this one will be the special teams and the turnover ratio. You've got to protect the pill and come out ahead in the kicking game. We'll see which group of men separate themselves from the boys this weekend. Any brave souls want to sound off and venture a guess at the outcome? I'm rarely a prognosticator but how about 34-14 Scarlet & Gray.

A leader worth following

Can you imagine packing up all your belongings your wife and two kids and driving to the Pacific ocean to start a church... from nothing. That might be the short version of the story but that is exactly what a seminary friend of mine, Paul Fleming has done. Talk about adventure... talk about walking by faith... talk about courage. That is why I wanted to introduce you to Paul, because he is such an encouragement to me. He is driven, he has amazing skills and work ethic and a deep faith that this is God's work.

I would encourage you to keep your eye on his ministry (Westport Church) as they try gather a church in one of the largest non-christian populations in the country....Hillsboro, Oregon. Check out some of the creative things he's been doing as they are just getting started:

• School System: The facilities director in our school system has agreed to talk with us about how Westport can serve our local schools.
• Chamber of Commerce: We have been welcomed by our city leaders, and receive regular invitations to local community events.
• Business Breakfast: Each month we join business leaders around the city for breakfast, hosted by a local Christian businessman.
• Intel: We've been meeting each week on the campus of Intel to discuss The Davinci Code with employees.
• Local Advertising: We secured advertising space in the city's local maps. 10,000 maps were printed for distribution to new move ins. We're excited that the name of Jesus Christ is being exalted in our city's promotional materials.

Pray for Paul & his family as they introduce their community to Jesus Christ.

Good News with skin on...

"The message of the gospel is not a 'spiritual' thing, but good tidings applied to man's entire existence. . . . The true New Testament expectation includes the new earth, and the present life is founded on and proceeds from this expectation. Only with an eye to God's future can one understand the richness of life in the present."
-- G. C. Berkouwer, The Return of Christ (Eerdmans, 1972)

Lock the church doors...

When is the last time that God called off church for the week? Probably too long ago. What if God said, "Don't waste my time this Sunday by acting like things are going OK"... or ... "I know that you aren't bringing your best to worship, you are robbing me".... or ... "I need a Sabbath from your sorry excuse from worship" ... or ..."your service is so full of you (speaking, playing, singing) that there is no room for me (to speak, to encourage, to be there)."

I know sacrilege to even suggest the thought. But I know that God is not impressed with our shows or our words if we are coming to Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. And in a day when God did speak quite directly to his people, he said something just like this. In the time of the prophets, God sent Malachi to Israel to point out to them the error of their ways. And their problem was that they were playing at worship and in the process mocking God. Trying to get God's full blessing, while cutting corners on the sacrifice they were willing to make to Him. So God says, "I wish that one of you would close the temple doors...I am not pleased with you...and I will no longer accept an offering from you (Malachi 1:10)."

Is our church due for a Fall Break? Does God wish that we would just lock the doors and quit playing at worship? Our God is a Great King and is worthy of our best. Why do we consider holding it back? Who are we saving our best for? Our worship matters because He matters.

Time for some fresh air

Sunday Night at 11:15 our kitchen was filled with firemen and paramedics. It was surreal, but it happened. It all started as a typical lazy Sunday night for us. The kids were asleep and we were lying on the couch sharing a bag of microwave popcorn. We both commented how our stomachs were bothering us, nothing more. I dozed off and Christine woke me suggesting we head off to bed.

But something in the back of her mind was troubled that or stomachs were bothering us. For some reasons she noted that our carbon monoxide detectors were unplugged (due to the kids) and thought she would plug them in... for peace of mind. But when she plugged the first in, the alarm sounded, signifying a dangerous level of CO in the house. We pulled it out and put in a second detector, with the same results. We tried both detectors in different parts of the house and each time the alarm sounded.

So now we are wondering do we have a problem or is this a false alarm. If it was nothing we didn't want to blow it out of proportion, but what if? What if we were surrounded by a deadly cloud of invisible, odorless gas that was slowly killing us? We had no idea if we were breathing fresh air or indeed we were in a death chamber, so we called 911. Within minutes a fire engine and an ambulance pulled in front of our house, complete with lights flashing and sirens sounding. (How are we going to explain this to the neighbors? - we thought).

Within minutes the firemen were able to clarify that indeed there was no dangerous level of CO and that we probably needed new CO detectors, but the experience was a bit unnerving. And it got me thinking about how many Christian lives die slow and painless deaths. It is as if they slowly succumb to an invisible cloud of deadly gas and slowly fade off. If you are in the presence of dangerous levels of CO and you do nothing, you will die. And I think that we as Christians are surrounded by a similar cloud that will bring our spiritual lives to a halt if we don't do anything.

Not that Christianity is defined by our doings, but if our lives are not lived Christianly we will surely fade into an existence that is robbed of the joys of being "in Christ." That seems to be what Paul is saying in Galatians 5:16 when he says "live by the Spirit." Our lives of eating and breathing and speaking and playing are either done in step with the Spirit (Gal 5:25) or in step with the flesh. Our Christianity is a way of life a way of living, almost a spiritual breathing, of fresh air which gives us life and enlivens our actions and speech. With out living with this fresh breath of the spirit our breathing takes in an invisible, odorless gas that is lifeless and will slowly kill our spiritual life. In that case, call 9-1-1.

Smile

A visit from across the pond

That may look like America's cutest couple, but it's not. That is Peep (pronounce Pape) & Anna Saar from Estonia. They visited our Homegroup on Tuesday to share about what God is up to in their country. They are part of an Estonian mission called Going UP which is reaching thousands of teens and 20somethings with the message of Christ. And these are certainly not your mommy & daddy's style of missionaries. The dress cool, they look good, they love authentic worship, they have fun, they use engaging technology... and they are enticing thousands of people to consider the claims of Jesus. Astounding in a country which regularly ranks as one of the most secular societies in the world.

How do they do it? When I listened to Peep I was struck by two things: his big god-size vision for reaching his country for Christ and his honest sense of humility about being apart of this work of God. It appears to be all about Him (that is God) and not so much about them. How refreshing and encouraging it was to see such vision and to catch a glimpse of what God is doing. A group from our church will go over to help them run an English Camp March 16-26, 2006. Save your vacation days and join the trip.

Beauty

The colors dance before me as I glided down the road. On this side a cloud of rich crimson red waves in the afternoon soon. Just down the way a punchy orange stands under the protection of some splendid evergreens. Across the street some pale yellow playfully tickles some light green limbs which reach out into the breeze. And as time slows for this moment, I see it. I see amazing beauty. When I can see beyond the picket fences and the stone chimneys laid in geometric symmetry I see the organic, natural beauty of creation. The vivid colors invite me to look again and again. I look for patterns and rhythm and continuity. I see creativity and ingenuity and power. It's right there in front of me. What has been hidden during the heat of summer days is not revealed during the crispness of fall. Surely beauty has a source greater than the small minds of men can conjure up. The tapestry of tall trees, ice covered mountains and deep oceans spill forth a creative story. It is inexcusable...It is right there. Wow, what beauty. Thank you God for revealing your beauty and breathing your creative life into this place.

Together Alone

Last weekend I sat down with Jon Krakauer's classic, "Into Thin Air". It is his personal story of a 1996 ascent to Mt. Everest, the highest point on the earth (29,028 ft). But the trip suddenly went all wrong and 9 people died near the peak, after being caught in a storm. Four of the five whom he reached the peak with were killed within hours.

It is a chilling tale of personalities, wills and egos that drive individuals to attempt such a feat. The closest I have been to a mountain is a few random days in an indoor rock gym. But even from that distance I get the idea that the world of climbing, while an individual endeavor, often requires a great deal of teamwork. That is why one particular passage on 213 jumped off the page when I read it.....

"There were more than 50 people camped on the Col (26,000 ft) that night, huddled in shelters side by side, yet an odd feeling of isolation hung in the air. The roar of the wind made it impossible to communicate from one tent to the next. In this godforsaken place, I felt disconnected from the climbers around me - emotionally, physically, spiritually - to a degree I hadn't experienced on any previous expedition. We were a team in name only, I'd sadly come to realize. Although in a few hours we would leave camp as a group, we would ascend as individuals, linked to one another by neither rope nor any deep sense of loyalty. Each client was in it for himself or herself, pretty much. And I was not different..."

How sad that a group of people who would have each benefited from a common sense of loyalty were simply alone together. As a pastor I dread the thought that people in my church are not tethered together as they climb the mountains of life. We too would benefit from being roped together by a deep sense of loyalty.